Ending: Time for a Bountiful Barbecue!
Afterwards, Yuuki and the others returned from the undersea ruins without problems. It was noon, and everyone was enjoying a celebratory barbecue by the seaside.
Pecorine
It's time to eat!
Pecorine
We have plenty of roasted skewers, so please have as many as you'd like, everyone!
Pecorine
And they're all completely, absolutely free, so no need to be modest!
Shop Owner
Ah, but beverages cost extra! Ahh, what a smashing success -- business is booming...!
Kyaru
Who's this guy? When did he show up and start managing everything...?
Suzume
Ha ha. This is the owner of the beach house where I've been working part-time.
Kokkoro
Ahh, that's right, you were working at a beach house, Lady Suzume. Excellent work.
Suzume
Oh, it's nothing! You must all be tired after your grand adventure, so please relax and eat your fill of food.
Suzume
There's plenty to go around! I may not be the best at cooking, but there's no way I can mess up something as simple as barbecued skewers!
Suzume
Ahh, wait... Ahhhh!?
Suzume trips and falls.
Pecorine
Ah, please, be careful! If you hit your head against the hot grill or the cooktop, you could be terribly injured!
Suzume
Eh heh heh... Sorry, it looks like I'm a bit exhausted, physically or magically. I'm a bit dizzy, so maybe I shouldn't be walking around so much.
Suzume
Everyone's enjoying their happily-ever-after moment right now, after all. It would be awful to spoil it all if I tripped and hurt myself now -- everyone's efforts would go to waste.
Shop Owner
Yes, Suzume, go ahead and rest up. Actually, it looks like your family is here, too, so why don't you go enjoy yourself with them?
Suzume
My family...? Ah, Lady Saren and the children!
Ayane
Suzume! Come here, let's play together!
Kurumi
Suzume! Look at this pretty seashell I found...
Saren
Ha ha. It's quite shallow here, so there's really no chance of drowning, but still, be careful not to hurt yourselves.
Saren
Suzume, if you're off work, why don't we go have some fun in the water? With such a cute swimsuit, it would be a shame not to go for a swim, wouldn't it?
Ayane
Yeah, yeah! Everyone from the Sarendia Orphanage -- or... Everyone in the family, let's go play in the water! Hey, Puukichi, do you wanna swim, too?
Puukichi
Huh? Hey, wait, if I get wet, I might get moldy... Suzume, can you use magic to make me waterproof?
Kurumi
Splish-splash... Hee hee, there's so much pretty stuff in the water...
Suzume
Ah, sounds fun! Ha ha, everyone from the Sarendia Orphanage came to play.
Saren
Yes, we all wanted to see you at work. And it's summer, so the kids have also wanted to come play by the sea.
Saren
But, also. It's a little lonely aorund the house without you, so... Let's all enjoy ourselves together!
Suzume
Ha ha, it's rare to see you acting your age, Lady Saren. But I'm still on the clock, so... Can I really go?
Shop Owner
Of course. Go on, I'll handle things over here.
Shop Owner
Thank to you all eliminating that monster in the undersea ruins, things are safe again here, and more customers are showing up...
Shop Owner
At this rate, we won't be in the red anymore, and I'll be able to support my family, too.
Shop Owner
I owe this all to you. Thank you, truly. You're my saviors... Or, I should say, the saviors of the Marjan Coast.
Pecorine
Think nothing of it! Hee hee, a lot happened, but it feels like everything ended up all right!
Pecorine
When we were carving up the rest of the defeated monster to use as ingredients, we found the other components of the Royal Armament in its stomach, too.
Pecorine
As important as it is, it's a relief that it didn't end up lost at sea.
Kyaru
Huh? Hey, these skewers that we're roasting right now, are they monster meat? Meat from that creepy thing with all the tentacles?
Pecorine
Yes! Not just that, but a bunch of the smaller monsters that we encountered while searching those ruins, too... It'd be a waste to just let them rot, so we brought them back to eat!
Pecorine
Rather than wastefully killing monsters, we make sure to eat them! Gourmet Palace style!
Kyaru
P-p... You should've said that earlier! You're telling me I've been eating that gross monster's meat...!?
Kokkoro
Ha ha. There's no need to be so disgusted -- it tastes quite nice.
Kokkoro
We processed it quite thoroughly, using magic to ensure that it was without poison and safe to eat.
Kokkoro
Here, Master, please enjoy this one... Say ahhh! Ah, it just came off the grill, so it must be hot. Let me cool it down for you -- puff, puff...
Yuuki
1. "It's tasty."
Kyaru
Dammit, you made me eat some gross monster again! How many times do I have to say, I don't want to eat these weird monsters! No way, no way, it makes me feel sick...!
Karin
Ha ha. Kyaru, you should eat up, too. Powerful monsters like this have a lot of energy stored inside them, so I think it would restore your depleted magic very nicely.
Kyaru
Huh!? You, Karin!
Kyaru
Hey, you knew about this, didn't you! The more I think about it, the stranger it gets -- for instance, it was beach season, but there was nobody here on the beach except us!
Kyaru
I heard that, because of the dangerous monster sightings, swimming was forbidden here! By "inviting" us to a place like this, you made us go through a whole ordeal!
Kyaru
This was your plan all along! You sent us to this battlefield so that we would take care of the problem, no doubt about it! You've done stuff like this before, too...!
Karin
Ha ha. I'll leave it to your imagination.
Karin
But you know, speaking as a member of the Guild Management Bureau... We wouldn't have provided this amount of money and supplies to a guild that would simply consume them without benefit.
Karin
Sometimes, we just need someone to get the job done... That's how we think. But this situation did turn out to be more dangerous than we'd expected, so we may have to rethink our policy moving forward.
Karin
In any case, as compensation for your splendid work in resolving the incident at the Marjan Coast... Gourmet Palace will be given official credit as usual, and we will be paying you a bounty.
Karin
Additionally, we'd like to offer you an additional benefit. Some complementary tickets to the real "Charming Southern Island Tour" resort!
Kyaru
Ah, I knew it! The real "Charming Southern Island Tour" isn't at the Marjan Coast at all, right? I thought it was weird that this place was so close by!
Karin
Ha ha. Also, we'd like to offer Pecorine this present.
Pecorine
Huh? What's this? Isn't this the same as the hairpiece I'm wearing right now?
Karin
Yes. The make is the same, but this one has been infused with spiritual power. If you wear this, all of your abilities should be enhanced.
Karin
With this, you should be able to fight just fine, even in your swimsuit. I heard that, due to the disappearance of your, er, Royal Armament... you went through a great deal of difficulty.
Karin
I thought that it would be quite troublesome if the same thing were to happen again, so it would be best to make sure that you're able to fight even when just wearing a swimsuit. Think of it as a reward for your hard work.
Pecorine
Ah, what a big help! It was really painful just being a burden on everyone else this time, you know?
Karin
Ha ha. I can only imagine. It seems that it was a part of that monster's nature to use its subordinates to steal away both precious metals and humans, amassing quite a fortune in its stomach.
Karin
Both the theft of the Royal Armament and the capture of Kokkoro were likely both due to that nature. The monster had also attacked ships that were passing by, resulting in a drastic decrease in the harvest of seafood.
Karin
It really did feel like a calamity. We had thought to classify it as monsters exacting their vengeance on humanity.
Karin
It seems like monster activity is still elevated in this area... There's a chance that settlements might suffer more damage in the future.
Karin
When that time comes, we may have to ask for your assistance, as we did this time. In that case, we'll be hoping for your continued cooperation.
Kyaru
Wait up, did you say "as we did this time?" Karin, you mean you're planning to pull another stunt like this!?
Karin
Ha ha. That depends on how things go. For a guild that is as industrious and earnest as yours, I don't think it would be such an unreasonable request.
Karin
In any case, I must get back to work... Please excuse me!
Kyaru
Hey, wait! Don't run away like that! Dammit, you won't get away with this next time, four-eyes!
Pecorine
Well, well... Karin was probably just doing her job as a member of the Guild Management Bureau. And we're all okay, so there's nothing to be upset about.
Kyaru
Easy to say in hindsight! Ugh, I'm in a bad mood now -- I'm gonna go eat some more! Hey, manager guy, let's get some non-monster fish on the grill!
Shop Owner
Y-Yes! Please enjoy...!
Kokkoro
Ha ha. All's well that ends well... That's how I feel.
Kokkoro
Everyone. Thank you again for rescuing me.
Kokkoro
More than anything, I'm happy to be able to share a meal at the same table as all of you again.
Pecorine
Yes. ... I'm glad you're okay, Kokkoro.
Yuuki
1. "But please, don't risk yourself so much next time."
Pecorine
That's right. You were about ready to sacrifice yourself, letting yourself be carried off so that Yuuki could escape.
Pecorine
I think Yuuki wouldn't be happy at all if you did that. Please, take better care of yourself, Kokkoro.
Pecorine
Everyone cares for you and loves you, after all.
Kokkoro
Yes... Please accept my sincerest apologies, everyone.
Pecorine
Ah, I feel like I'm lecturing now. In the end, everything turned out all right, so let's eat, drink, and be merry!
Pecorine
It's summer! We've come all the way to the beach, so it'd be a shame to let ourselves be clouded by such dark thoughts... Right?